Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist

Summary

The DRT(R) technologist operates general radiography and fluoroscopy equipment to acquire diagnostic radiographs of patients and support fluoroscopic exams and procedures to enable the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Exam requests are screened for appropriateness and reviewed with a radiologist as needed.

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Duties

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Major Duties:

• Receive patients, confirm patient identification, obtain patient history, provide patient education, provide reassurance, and ensure patient comfort. Perform fall risk assessment and mobilize appropriate assistive lifting and transfer devices as needed. Apply strategies to reduce risk of falls - remove obstacles and tripping hazards. Continually assess the condition and needs of patients to ensure patient safety, comfort, privacy, and dignity. Coordinate care to provide service timely to the clinical need.
• Review exam requests for appropriateness before performing exams. Use appropriateness criteria, the clinical history provided on the request, patient interview, chart review or contact with the ordering clinician to clarify as needed.
• Apply radiation safety practices, including the concepts of time, distance and shielding, and the ALARA principle of keeping radiation exposure to As Low as Reasonably Achievable.
• Perform general maintenance operations on equipment such as warm-up and shutdown sequences, calibration, QC and basic troubleshooting. Maintain logs to document equipment performance history and malfunctions. Identify deviations from equipment specifications and initiate service or other corrective action. Provide assistance to service engineers, OI&T staff, and service support with basic troubleshooting on imaging devices, computer systems and PACS to help resolve issues.
• Demonstrate knowledge of PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems), including fundamental knowledge of network interfaces, routing of images to electronic archives, quality control, and basic troubleshooting. Ensure completed exams are properly archived both in PACS and VISTA Imaging.
• Demonstrate knowledge of life support equipment, including QC of crash cart, set-up of oxygen and suction apparatus.
• Demonstrate ability to adhere to Daily Assignments following established SOP's, checklists, protocols, and policies to effectively complete daily assignments.
• Download images onto CD/DVD or other approved storage devices according to established protocols and policies.
• Upload outside images to PACS according to established protocols and policies.
• Apply working knowledge of CPT coding compliance, using appropriate exam codes, and coding resources.
• Perform general radiography exams. Operate Direct Radiography (DR) equipment including portable and fixed radiography units. Optimize technical factors such as exposure, patient positioning, centering, collimation, grids, filters, protocol selection and other relevant factors to achieve high quality, diagnostic radiographs with the lowest radiation achievable dose, and the minimum number of retakes.
• Demonstrate knowledge of direct radiography (DR) systems including optimal positioning of DR plates, specific exposure requirements, system applications and digital post-processing techniques to optimize image quality and annotate images.
• Use CPRS within scope of technologist competencies such as, chart review, entering progress notes, entering patient education notes, and entering policy orders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : Intermittent

Telework : Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Certification. All applicants must be certified in general radiologic technology by the American Registry of Radiologic Technology, Radiography (ARRT) (R). Advanced ARRT certification is required for assignments that include computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), [or Mammography (M) duties performed independently, as applicable]. Advanced certification indicates that the incumbent [can operate independently] and has demonstrated specific clinical competency in the appropriate specialty and taken and passed the designated examination. [In modalities that require advanced certification, to support their continued development, technologists who do not possess an advanced certification may be provided on the job training with oversight from a certified radiologic technologist.
• Education. Completion of a full-time training course of at least 24 months in duration (or the equivalent) in a post-high school diagnostic radiologic technology program, evidenced by a certificate or an associate degree, accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) or from [other accrediting agencies as recognized by the Department of Education (DOE).
• English Language Proficiency. DRTs must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations : In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, the following criteria must be met to be minimally qualified:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-6 LEVEL : Completion of 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-5), that is directly related to the position to be filled and that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics needed to provide services as a diagnostic radiologic technologist.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-7 LEVEL : Completion of 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-6), that is directly related to the position to be filled and that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics needed to provide services as a diagnostic radiologic technologist.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-8 LEVEL : Completion of 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level (GS-7), that is directly related to the position to be filled and that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics needed to provide services as a diagnostic radiologic technologist.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Preferred Experience: At least one year experience in Radiography. Experience in the operating room, Fluoro and Bone Densitometry.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS05 to GS08 .

Physical Requirements: Frequent standing, walking, grasping, carrying, reaching, bending, stooping and speaking. Lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling up to 25 pounds. Frequent use of computer keyboard and phone. Precise control of power-assisted equipment and devices

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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